The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken

A children's book I read, not surprisingly, to my girls. Poor, orphan Sylvia Green is going to live with her rich cousin Bonnie. Bonnie's parents are about to leave on a long journey for the sake of Bonnie's mother's health. They have hired a distant relative to look after and teach the girls in their absence. But Miss Slighcarp, that distant relative, is not all that she seems to be. There follows a series of adventures for the two girls, which concludes happily. My girls were enthralled, and I was happy enough to comply with their repeated requests for more, and more, and yet more. They have commissioned me to search out other books by Joan Aiken.

After America, by Mark Steyn

Inimitable. Irresistible. Bleak. Hopeless. Grim. Hilarious. These are the words that come to mind when I read Mark Steyn. As Ann Coulter said, 'Only Mark Steyn can write about the decline of America and leave you laughing.' Take this sample, for instance, in which Mr. Steyn describes American descent into Big Government paternalistic socialism as resembling European descent into Big Government paternalistic socialism: 'This isn't a bright new future, it's a straight-to-video disco-zombie sequel: the creature rises from the grave to stagger around in rotting bell-bottoms and cheesecloth shirt terrorizing a new generation. Burn, baby, burn, it's a Seventies-statist disco-era inferno!'

The picture Mr. Steyn draws is so bleak I found myself asking why I ever brought children into such a world. I'm grateful that this world is not ultimate, that I have a hope beyond this world.

If you are a lover of small government and big liberty, if you like to read insightful and incisive commentary about America and the trajectory she is on, read 'After America,' sigh, and push back. If you aren't and don't, read 'After America' and be persuaded to take a different view of matters.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Dickens, a man who uses adjectives in a liberal manner, gave rise to a new adjective himself: dickensian. 'A Christmas Carol' is a dickensian tale. Who reading this post (all six of you, if I'm lucky) doesn't know the story? I love the beginning, with its discussion of the deadest piece of ironmongery. I read it to my girls, who enjoyed the story a great deal. It prompted many deep discussions with them about morality, liberality, and salvation. Can a man save himself?

If you've not read 'A Christmas Carol' yet, don't wait.

Read My Hips, by Kim Brittingham

This book, written by a self-described 'fat girl,' decries our society's skewed perception of weight. She argues, not that being fat is healthy, but that an obsession with becoming thin is unhealthy, and that a culture-wide push to make people feel guilty for not being thin is a mistake. Ms. Brittingham often strikes a funny note as she discusses her experience of being fat in a culture that worships skinniness, her early attempts to lose weight, and her eventual acceptance of herself as she is.

I would neither recommend this book particularly, nor suggest that people avoid it.

Devices and Desires, by P.D. James

What can I say? I love a good mystery, and P.D. James writes good mysteries. Good novels, really.

In 'Devices and Desires' Adam Dalgleish has to decide what to do with a home he has inherited from his aunt. He decides to visit it on holiday before making a final decision. At this time a serial killer has been terrorizing the area. Dalgleish finds a body. Is she a victim of the serial killer, known as the Whistler? Or is another murderer on the loose?

I kept asking myself as I read the book why I likes James's work so much. I think it has to be her characters, and Dalgleish in particular. I like him as a character, as a person. He's a police detective and a published poet. I think he's something of a philosopher as well. I sympathize with his introversion.

If you like to read mysteries, can handle a tense one with some sexual content (but not of a titillating sort), and you haven't yet tried out P.D. James, don't wait. I understand she has a new one out set in Pemberly. I'm eager to get my hands on that one.

On Being a Novice Blogger

I think I just accidentally deleted a blog post, in my attempt to respond to someone's comment on it. Oops! Deb, if you see this, I'm sorry.

A List

Because once again I am several books behind. Has it really been nearly a month since I last blogged? Shocking and shameful.

The Hawk and the Dove; The Wounds of God; The Long Fall, a trilogy by Penelope Wilcock. I thoroughly enjoyed each one and highly recommend them to any fiction reader. This trilogy tops this list of books; it is my favorite selection here.

It's Probably Nothing, by Beach Conger, MD. Fun and mostly true recollections of a country doctor. The author also wove in some history of medicine. I would recommend this to those who enjoy reading true medical anecdotes.

Gargantua, by Rabelais. This reminded me of Sterne's Tristram Shandy, in terms of the bawdiness and the frenzied pace of its humor.

The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz. A true account of a bid for freedom from a Siberian concentration camp. Seven men escape; who makes it to British India? They have recently made a movie of this book, but I can't speak to that, as I haven't watched it yet. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in accounts of survival in extreme situations.